To get to Ottawa packages from EB's always get the PST and GST applied and that totally arbitrary $5 "handling" charge on them. Also, while Ernie ships things out within 24hrs, it still consistently takes about 2 full weeks to get to me.

Check out dustygroove.com. They carry a lot of the current reggae reissues, on vinyl and cd, and are just a great shop for all kinds of soulful music. They're in Chicago, decent prices, and ship fast. (Here's a tip: If it's a small order of 1 or 2 items, you'll tend to avoid some of those border charges too - try it and you may see why).

Yep - GST and PST and the customs charge added to each EB order (which usually takes between 1 and 2 weeks to arrive here). Still I think with the generally reasonable prices (even though the U.S. $ conversion is always an extra sting) and the flat shipping rate allowing that charge to be averaged out among the number of items in an order (I am starting to make larger orders to save - theoretically in this way), it still works out to be on the whole cheaper than some retailers.

Plus of course about 90% of Ernie's stock is never available here which makes it an attractive proposition...I buy what makes it to store shelves locally, so I can free up spots in my next EB's order for stuff that will never show up here. I've been dealing with Ernie's now for about five or six years I guess...I've dealt with some other sites but shipping charges just get too prohibitive and I always end up sticking with Ernie.

I've ordered 2 or 3 times now and on at least one occasion I didn't get hit with GST or the $5 handling fee which was nice. I reckon you need to spend about $100 CAD to make it worthwhile - but as Doug says there are some things that simply aren't available here. Maybe look for someone to share an order with - the $9 shipping fee stays the same however much you order.
Mark T

Also remember that of course the larger the order, the more you will pay in GST and PST upon arrival...I think I've paid between $20 - $30 extra just in taxes on top of the regular cost of a larger order! Still if I was able to walk into a store locally and buy the same titles, I'd be paying those taxes anyway.

Must be rough being a reggae fan in Newfoundland! We think we have it bad for reggae distribution in other parts of the country...!

I usually order 5 or 6 items at a time from EB and clearing the package at the post office is usually a $15 - $20 charge. So that's $3 or $4 per item added to the acquisition cost...not so bad in my estimation because, as others have noted, you can't find the titles locally and if a retailer special orders on your behalf, you'll end up paying more and waiting longer. Delivery times vary greatly depending on how much interest Canada Customs takes in your package, and the volume of mail Canada Post is handling at any given moment. I've received EB orders within 4 days or waited as long as 4 weeks.

Forgot to add that between mymusic.com (Ottawa) and absound.ca (Vancouver) you can occasionally find harder to find reggae titles at decent prices - Cdn $'s too! The service out of mymusic is excellent and they will sometimes waive the shipping on qualifying orders. absound has a more limited selection but very aggressive prices.

Of course the best thing yet is to move to Alberta where you can take advantage of A&B's aggressive pricing and there is no PST. It's drier than Newfoundland, warmer than Winnipeg and sunnier than Vancouver. Mark T.